Wait For Me
by Tariii
Summary: Naruto struggles to deal with all the "information" he received, and to make things worse, it all happens while preparations for the war still have to be made!
1. The Moon

"_I guess I'll be taking you now"_

_The pierced male extended his hand towards me and as I returned the stare, I saw the pupils inside those ringed eyes begin to dilate. My body began to react involuntarily as I gritted my teeth. Being pierced by these odd rods stopped me from moving, and any attempts at struggling were forcibly deterred by an overwhelming presence of chakra._

_I couldn't do anything._

_The village was in ruins, and my people were injured.. or worse. Maybe if I hadn't left the village, maybe I could have saved them all. I could have prevented this damage, the invasion.. I could have saved everyone._

_No._

_Even now, having mastered Sage Mode, I gave it my best shot. Even if I stayed, I doubt it would have been different. At least with Sage Mode, I put up a fight, but I still couldn't save everyone..._

_Taptaptaptap._

_The sound of footsteps broke me from my reverie and I quickly averted my gaze from the man known as Pein, to the source of the sound._

"_Haa!"_

_The indigo haired kunoichi jumped into the air, and brought her hand down swiftly in an attempt to attack the spiky-haired opponent. He seemed to avoid the attack rather easily, but Hinata's hand impacted the ground and created a small crater while kicking up dust at the same time._

_The cloud began to clear and there stood Hinata, staring defiantly at the man who brought so much destruction to our home._

"_I won't let you hurt Naruto-kun anymore!"_

"_Reinforcements?"_

_I blinked several times, unsure if what I was seeing was really happening. I never once doubted her strength – I knew she trained hard and never gave up... I knew she was strong. However, I was concerned._

"_Why'd you come out here?! Get away quickly! You're no match f-"_

"_I know" she interjected._

_My eyes widened slightly, and I tried to look towards her completely but found it incredibly difficult as the rods greatly restricted my movements. Still, my head shifted slightly and I looked to her form, waiting for her to continue.._

"_I'm just being.. selfish"_

_Huh?_

"_What are you talking about?! Don't put yourself in danger like this!"_

_She didn't move a muscle. She didn't blink and her truculent gaze didn't waver an inch._

"_I'm here because I want to be. This time, I'm going to save you, Naruto-kun."_

_With wide eyes I continued to gaze at her, and somehow despite everything that happened around us, she was the only thing I could see. But I knew differently. Before us stood the man who was threatening to take everything from me – my home, my friends, my people – and just like he destroyed my village, he could destroy Hinata too. I didn't want that for her, but before I could say something, she spoke again._

"_I was always crying, and giving up before even trying. I made the wrong turns so many times.. But you helped me find my way and take the correct path, Naruto-kun. I always chased after you. I wanted to catch up to you. I wanted to walk beside you all the time. I want to be by your side, always. You changed me, Naruto-kun! Your smile is what saved me! That's why I'm not afraid to die if it means I can protect you!"_

_It hurt. Something inside me hurt as I listened to Hinata speak.. perhaps it was still the pain from the rods embedded through my body, but that didn't seem right. I wasn't sure what it was, but my chest felt tight and even breathing seemed like one of the most excruciating tasks I've ever had to do. Furthermore, though I could definitely feel it there, I wasn't even sure what my heart was trying to do. It felt as though it was in a tug of war battle between stopping all together, or exploding right out of my chest._

_There was only a very brief moment as she paused, but to me it felt as though time and space had stopped. I couldn't take my eyes off her, and I wasn't sure if I even wanted to at this point. Before she intervened I was feeling down on myself, and yet here she is – this bright light that wanted to stand up for me and stand by me. This wonderful woman who was confessing to me her feelings with more confidence than I've ever seen anyone display._

_And then, she spoke again.. I'm pretty sure my heart just decided to stop altogether._

"_Because... I love you, Naruto-kun!"_

_I merely gaped at her in response. I didn't know what to do! I tried to move my mouth to say something.. anything! I found myself unable to breathe, let alone formulate any sort of an intelligent reply. Words abandoned me as my thoughts began to flood with Hinata and her confession. My mind clouded with a mixture of various emotions and I wasn't even sure what was going on anymore. I was scared - scared for myself, and even more so for Hinata. I felt bewildered, distressed, enraged all at the same time and I couldn't make sense of anything. But the most curious emotion I felt – the one that seemed to overwhelm me at such an inappropriate time, was happiness. Why? I'm pretty sure Kakashi-sensei left this world.. My home is in ruins.. My friends are in pain and suffering.. and yet, this girl..._

_All this girl had to do was say three words. Three tiny little words, and my name.. and my heart and body felt overcome by an intoxicating bliss, that I wasn't sure I've ever felt before._

_Without anymore words, the indigo haired woman inhaled a deep breath and slid her foot back, posturing herself in a combating stance. In response, the orange haired man brandished another of these black rods and prepared himself._

_Chakra focused around her eyes, and her veins bulged around the sockets as she activated her Kekkei Genkai – Byakugan. I watched the two of them stare each other down for a few brief moments before she quickly and gracefully swept her leg over my body shattering one of the black rods. My gaze shot over to her crouching form as she began to rotate around and attempt another go at the rods that imprisoned me. However, before she was able to make contact, a blast of chakra propelled her form away from me._

_I couldn't see her, but I could hear the sound of her body tumbling across the ground, before skidding to a halt. Then the sound of her footsteps reached my ears once again as I could tell she was running towards me. She was finally in my view again, leaping forward to assault and break the rods once more before her body was deflected and sent hurtling end over end away from me._

"_Hinata!" I screamed out as my mind was finally able to formulate words._

_She struggled to get up, propping her body up with her hands and as I looked at her, I saw a stream of crimson grace her face. The liquid appeared to emanate from a possible gash she got on her head, but her indigo locks concealed the injury from being visible._

_The man from Akatsuki walked over, situating himself between Hinata and I, and I could only watch her through the space between the man's leg._

_She stood up, striking two more martial poses in quick succession before she held her closed fists by her torso. The air around her hands were visibly distorted as if they were heating up and it wasn't long before chakra enveloped her fists. The energy source began accumulating until it molded into two fiery lion heads, each one encasing the female's hands. Surprisingly, the chakra only grew as the lion heads enlarged._

"_Gentle Step.. Twin Lion Fists!"_

_She dashed forward and within seconds, managed to close the gap between her and her opponent. Then, their dance of sorts began. Hinata barraged the individual with a onslaught of kicks, punches, hooks and jabs, while he effortlessly managed to evade them. Undeterred, the girl continued her relentless assault, not giving the man a chance to retaliate. This continued on for a moment or two before Pein began to raise his hand only to freeze. It was unexpected but Hinata managed to land a hit on the seemingly paralyzed male._

_Much to my confusion, instead of striking the man a few more times, Hinata jumped towards me, breaking yet another of the black rods. I could distinctly hear her clothes shift as she drew back her hand again, but instead of hearing another rod shattering, I heard a blast of chakra collide with her body followed by a scream that made my blood curl._

_I looked up, only to see Hinata's form being propelled upwards into the sky before plummeting towards the hard ground below._

"_HINATA!"_

_A loud thud resonated throughout the area, as her body impacted the dirt and I could feel my eyes begin to water. I quickly shut them in response and clenched my teeth. _

_A dream... that's right.. this is just a dream.. I just have to wake up._

_My eyes shut tighter as I tried to force myself out of this nightmare, but it didn't work. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't end this nightmare. This pain, this suffering - served as a constant reminder that this was real, that what I was witnessing was real and that above all else, I was powerless to help or save Hinata. I couldn't take it.._

_Her body laid there for what seemed like eternity. I had to help her, I had to do something to save her. I gritted my teeth, trying to shift my body and free myself from this imprisonment, but every time I did, I was met with even more pain._

"_Hinata!" I called out, repeating her name multiple times, in the hopes that she was alive._

_She didn't move, so I kept calling and calling, hoping my voice would reach her... all the while, struggling and trying to get myself free so I could save her. Unable to, I turned my gaze over to her lifeless form, only to see her slowly but surely, open her eyes. _

"_Hinata!"_

_I wasn't sure if it was right for me to feel relieved.. she wasn't dead, a fact of which I was immeasurably thankful for.. but at the same time, I knew she would continue to try to save me, and I wasn't sure if I could bear watching her suffer any longer._

_Slowly, she began propping herself up. At first she managed to get onto her hands and knees, then she attempted to stand up only to fall back down, letting out a cry. Again, she made another attempt, and successfully stood up before she began walking towards me. I couldn't watch.. but at the same time, I couldn't tear my eyes away. You didn't need any powers to see she was in a lot of pain, and her face still had blood flowing down and the offending liquid didn't seem to stop. She continued limping towards me only to collapse onto the ground once more._

_She was going through so much pain, and yet she continued trying to get up – trying to reach me. Again, she forced herself to stand up, her entire body shaking profusely. I didn't want to see her suffer anymore, I didn't want her to go through anymore pain, I couldn't bear it. I could see the tears in her eyes as she looked at me and I lowered my gaze, to stop myself from crying because I knew I was about to.._

"_Stop.. Don't come, Hinata.." I pleaded.._

_Despite my pleas, she continued limping towards me, not saying anything, just trying her best to reach me. She fell again, and I instantly glanced towards her. However, even though I could tell her body was screaming at her to stop moving, she disobeyed it. She crawled to me.. gripping the floor and dragging her body towards me in a way that broke my heart over and over again. My eyes already began to gloss over as they filled with tears and I quickly closed them, lowering my head. I couldn't cry.. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't.. She was trying her hardest for my sake... and any tears would disgrace her.._

"_I don't understand.. Why would someone as weak as you try to resist? Why fight me? Knowing you'll die?"_

_I felt Hinata's hand wrap around the rod that pinned both my hands together. I could feel her shaking through the vibrations in the rod.. I could hear her silent cries of pain as she struggled to try to remove it from my hands._

"_I stand by what I say.."_

_My heart thumped loudly against my chest as she spoke. Her voice soft, calm and confident despite the pain she was going through. Her words were familiar.. Very familiar to me.. I widened my eyes, raising my head and setting my gaze upon her. I could hear her breath.. shaky.. as though the very act of gasping for air was taking every ounce of energy she had. She raised her head slowly, and our eyes met._

_I gazed deeply into her lavender orbs, not wanting to break it. I simply searched her eyes, and found myself getting lost in them. Seconds felt like years.. and staring into them for the little time I was actually able to, made me feel at peace even though I was on the verge of tears._

"_Because that... is my ninja way.."_

_My eyes widened once again, and my heart pounded painfully in my chest, as though it was trying to burst out. In a weird and twisted way, Pein seemed to allow my heart to do just what it wanted. He tore Hinata from my gaze, and simultaneously I felt my heart being ripped out. All I could do was watch in horror, as the girl who only moments ago confessed her love for me, was hurled into the air and slammed down into the ground with a blood curling sound._

_Stop.. please..._

_He brandished yet another black rod, gave me one quick glance, and lowered his hand, leaving me with the sound of pierced flesh._

_HINA-_

"-TAA!"

The blond haired boy sat up, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath. His right hand gripped over his shirt around his left chest in an attempt to clutch his painfully beating heart. He merely focused at a spot on the material he used to cover with while trying to calm himself down. His widened eyes slowly began to close after the initial shock as he took several deep breaths, and it wasn't long before his breathing was back to a regular pace. It'd take a bit longer for his heart to stop pounding so quickly in his chest, but his real concern was the pain he felt that didn't seem to dissipate.

Then, he became aware of a cool sensation trickling down his cheek and he raised a hand to his cheek in response. Running his fingertips across the skin, he brought his hand into his vision and stared at his fingers. He let out a sigh as he noticed the tears that now stained his fingers before using the back of his hand to clear his cheek of the liquid.

".. A dream, huh?" he whispered to himself even though he wouldn't exactly call that a dream. In fact, this particular... nightmare, seemed to plague his sleeping mind rather sporadically. However it wasn't until recently that experiencing this trauma became more frequent... this was the third night in a row.

He took another deep breath and looked around him. There, a few feet away from him was Sai, Shikamaru and Choji, apparently sleeping soundly despite the fact that he practically screamed out moments ago. With the village still under construction from the damages sustained during Pein's invasion, the shinobi were given sleeping quarters in tents, in groups based on shifts. Konohagakure was still recovering, and with the recent declaration of the Fourth Shinobi War by Madara Uchiha, the village still needed to be protected. Yes, it was true that there was the Great Shinobi Alliance, however it was still possible for other villages and potential bandit groups to take advantage of the situation and cause even more destruction.

Naruto let out a faint smile at his friends who seemed relaxed, though looks could be very deceiving. Most of the shinobi have never been to war, so it wasn't as though they were easy-going about the impeding battle, his friends and more specifically himself, were no exception. In addition to the anxiety everyone probably felt, they all had their own personal dilemmas to deal with, and Naruto's list of problems just seemed to continually accumulate.

He lifted the covers from his form, and quietly walked out of the sleeping tent. Once outside, he was greeted by the cool night air and a soft breeze that conveniently blew the moment he stepped out. He shivered slightly but dismissed the sensation and diverted his attention to the sky. The act of cloud watching was a particular hobby of one Shikamaru Nara, but lately Naruto began to mimic his friend and partake in the pastime, if only out of the habit from hanging around the shadow ninja so often.

Unfortunately, Naruto couldn't find solace in the clouds as the night sky was practically void of any cotton-candy looking formations. Instead, he was graced with the sight of a plethora of stars and one rather large full moon. His eyes glanced across the many lights in the sky, slowly tracing over the few constellations he knew, until his eyes ultimately set on the moon.

The orbiting body of mass was rather bright in the night sky and provided an abundant amount of light for anyone roaming around at this time. The blonde haired male kept his gaze fixated upon the moon, his conscious mind devoid of any thoughts as he merely marveled at the beauty. He wasn't entirely sure why, but tonight the moon intrigued him more than ever. As he struggled to determine what exactly it was that captivated him tonight, his mind began processing more and more thoughts until finally, he realized what it was.

Regardless of everything that was happening right now, everything that was going to happen.. the moon still remained vibrant. It still remained calm and serene, and the longer he gazed at it, the more at ease he felt. That opalescent sphere and the color of the sky reminded him of _her_, and how even though it was entirely possible he would lose everything, those eyes and that smile calmed him – made him feel at peace. He didn't know why he felt that way, he just did.. and not knowing only served to make him feel nervous and confused.

He let out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair, slightly gripping the strands as he closed his eyes.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" he chuckled softly, before a voice replied.

"A lot of things."

Blinking, Naruto turned to glance at the figure behind him. There, yawning a little, stood Shikamaru who rubbed his eyes a bit in an attempt to stay awake briefly.

"Oh, Shikamaru.. What are you doing awake?"

"Man.. I could ask you the same thing."

Naruto glanced towards his feet at that as he remembered why he was awake in the first place.. that nightmare. The black haired male noticed his friend's response, or lack thereof and let out a sigh.

"Tch... Well, if you must know, your little shouting earlier woke me up."

"Yeah.. Sorry about that.. Bad dream."

Shikamaru kept his eyes fixed upon the blond who didn't seem to raise his head at all. He let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his head before speaking again.

"What's on your mind?"

".. Nothing."

"Don't give me that. You're impossible to wake up in the mornings because you enjoy sleeping so much, and yet here you are... awake. Even for you, there's no way nothing can be on your mind. There's a war soon.. not to mention everything that happened with Sasuke.."

"..."

Naruto's gaze didn't move at all and Shikamaru let out another sigh, this time in defeat as he knew Naruto wasn't going to talk.

"Look Naruto.. Everyone has their secrets, and their own problems to deal with, but I'm sure you know more than anyone that having other people around isn't a bad thing. I believe in you, and if you do need to talk, I got your back."

Naruto couldn't help but smile at that. "Thanks, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru shrugged and turned to walk back into the tent. "You're way too troublesome, you know that? Come on, let's get some sleep. The Hokage told us to meet her early in the morning and judging from that moon, I'd say we only have a few more hours of sleep."

With that, Shikamaru dipped back into the tent, leaving Naruto to glance back towards the moon at the mention of it. After one more glance, he simply smiled and walked back into the tent to get whatever remaining sleep he could. Unbeknownst to him, his life would change drastically over the next few days, and meeting Tsunade would be the catalyst to set everything in motion.

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><p><strong>AN; So! This is the first chapter of my first story! Kind of a weird way to end it, but there is more to come! And hopefully you're interested and stick around to see what I have planned. Thanks for reading! Reviews appreciated!**


	2. The News

**A/N: Okay! So sorry about the delay... I ran into a few problems while writing this chapter, but I'm ultimately pretty pleased with how it turned out, so I hope you enjoy!**

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><p>It was some time during the early afternoon, and the blond male found himself staring at the doors to the large building before him. He raised his arm and extended his hand to the knob, in an attempt to open the door but hesitated. He wasn't sure what was going to happen, but he needed answers and he was hoping <em>she<em> would be able to give them to him. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and recalled what had happened earlier in the day – what had ultimately lead him.. here.

- § -

For the most part, there was an awkward silence that filled the rather large room. Not a single word was spoken and for several moments, the only noises that could be heard were the shuffling of papers and the tapping of a pen against a mahogany desk. The Hokage sat in her chair with her elbow on the table, and her chin set in the palm of her raised hand as she scanned over the words on the documents before her.

Every so often, she would scribble something onto the paper she was looking at before assorting it into one of the many folders scattered haphazardly on her desk. It was quite the chaotic mess, but somehow she knew where everything had to be. She felt her desk was incredibly organized, however her assistant disagreed entirely. She often found herself being chided for her messiness, yet continued to ignore the nagging of her dark haired friend.

Fortunately, she was saved from being scolded this time, as the only other occupants were four of her male shinobi; a pale-skinned former ANBU member, a stocky young man surprisingly devoid of a bag of chips, a slouching male who seemed to embody laziness, and finally a rather boisterous and loud blond, who thankfully remained silent at this time.

However... that was short-lived..

"What's the deal, baa-chan?! Are you gonna tell us why you called us or not?"

Naruto was clearly growing frustrated the longer the silence dragged on, and was rather eager to find out exactly what Tsunade called them for so early in the morning.

The Hokage only shifted her eyes, remaining in the same posture she had been for the last several minutes. Her gaze now set on Naruto as she narrowed her eyes at the young male. She hated being called 'baa-chan'... she put so much effort into looking as young as she did, and the... 'pet name' he had given her only served to remind her of her age. She felt the need to reprimand the blond, but decided against it – mainly because she was comfortable in her seat and didn't want to leave it.

"You want to become Hokage someday, don't you?"

"I don't just want to! I will!"

A very small smile graced her features at his determination, though it quickly disappeared as she kept her narrowed eyes locked on the spiky blond. She was confident that Naruto would eventually become the Hokage and succeed her, but more than that, she was curious to see how the energetic boy would take to all the paperwork that came with the title. The idea amused her to no end, as she often found herself annoyed with all the work she had to do.

"Then shut up and learn some patience."

Naruto stiffed at the tone of her voice – a reaction to which she smirked rather mischievously at.

"I do apologize for making you all wait," she gave the four of them a glance over before continuing "with everything that's going on, there's a lot of duties that need to be taken care of."

"It's no problem, Tsunade-sama" replied Shikamaru as he gave the blond male beside him a small glare before turning his attention back to the Hokage. "You've been pretty swamped lately.. you only recently recovered, and then Raikage-sama called for the five Kages to meet... there's also all the work that has piled up while you were unconscious."

Tsunade's eyes fell upon the dark haired boy who just finished speaking. She often found herself amazed at his intellectual prowess and was grateful for his understanding of the situation, however she dismissed it and carried on.

"Well, the reason I called you here is because I have a mission of sorts.."

"What?! A mission? At this time? Baa-chan, there's a war soon.. we don't have time for missions!" yelled the boisterous blond.

"I'm fully aware of what's to come, Naruto" she spoke up, gesturing over all the paperwork on her desk.

"Then why'd you accept the mission?"

"Because it's a direct request from the Kazekage. Now if you'd keep quiet, I can actually tell you all about it." Tsunade raised her free hand and rubbed the bridge of her nose in frustration.

At the mention of Gaara, Naruto quieted down and was more attentive this time. Even though he never got to speak much to the red head, he still considered the male a dear friend.

Tsunade frowned as she scanned over the four males again. She was probably too focused on her work to notice before, but clearly there was a mistake.

"Choji?"

"Yes?"

"What are you doing here?"

The large male blinked a few times, before glancing at Shikamaru in confusion. "What do you mean? You called for the four of us.."

With the frown still upon her face, Tsunade picked up a folder from her desk, opened it and flipped through the contents within.

"Ugh," groaned the female as she hung her head briefly before looking back to the male. "I'm really sorry, I thought I had specified that I needed to speak to Naruto, Shikamaru and Sai. I can't send you out of the village at this time, Choji. Our medical team requires your help with making the food pills."

Choji smiled brightly and shook his head. "It's not a problem, Hokage-sama. I'll take my leave then." He bowed to the blonde female, before waving at his three friends. "Good luck, you guys." Naruto and Shikamaru nodded in response, while Sai attempted a smile of sorts... it was odd.

Choji exited the room, and closed the door behind him before Tsunade spoke up again.

"As I was saying.. This is a request directly from the Kazekage. If I'm being honest, it isn't entirely a mission. The four of you will leave-"

"Four of us? Baa-chan, are you okay? You just told Choji to leave.."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes once more at the blond as she glared at him. She was hoping the blond would refrain from interrupting her until she'd finished the briefing, but such a hope proved folly.

"The fourth member should be here shortly."

And as if right on queue, a knock on the door resounded throughout the room.

"Come in."

The door opened revealing the indigo haired heiress of the Hyuga clan, dressed in her regular attire of navy blue pants, black sandals and her lavender and cream sweater.

"Sorry for the intrusion." she bowed deeply, before straightening up and finally realizing who exactly was in the room. _Naruto-kun.._ A light flush colored her cheeks and her body instinctively began to take a step back before she stopped herself. She managed to regain her composure and smiled softly at the blond male.

Naruto on the other hand, was more flustered than Hinata at the unexpected meeting. He had been having the same nightmare for the past few nights, and as a result, he found that the pearly-eyed female occupied a great deal of his late night thoughts. And no, none of those thoughts were perverse in any way.

He hadn't realized it, but he had been gawking at her for quite a while, and his intense gaze only served to increase the blush that adorned Hinata's cheeks.

"Hinata shall be the fourth member."

Thankfully, Tsunade managed to break Naruto out of his thoughts. He quickly returned a small smile at the Hyuga heiress before she moved over to the open spot where Choji stood prior.

"Now with everyone here, allow me to continue." She shot a quick glance at Naruto, to tell him to keep quiet. She was however, surprised to see him focusing his attention on the new girl that had entered the room.

"Naruto.. Is there something on Hinata's face? You're staring at her."

Sai, Shikamaru and Hinata both turned to look at Naruto, who jerked his head back at Tsunade so quickly that it was amazing he didn't suffer whiplash.

"N-N-No. Sorry. So about the mission?"

Shikamaru and Tsunade both raised an eyebrow at the now blushing blond, while Hinata's cheeks turned a deeper shade of red at the attention.. Sai seemed undeterred.

Tsunade shook the questions she had away, before clearing her throat.

"Once again, as I was saying... this is a request directly from the Kazekage. At the Raikage's meeting, Gaara expressed his desire to speak with you."

Tsunade still wasn't committed to the request. This war was essentially being fought to keep the last two Jinchuuriki safe and out of Madara Uchiha's reach. At first, she had opposed the idea of sending Naruto and Bee to a secluded area to remain safe, but as the rest of the Kage's deemed it necessary, she was outnumbered. Now, she began to understand the reluctance to send them out into the field. She held faith in the blond jinchuuriki, and truly did believe he would be fine – that didn't stop her from worrying.

"I am unsure what he wishes to speak to you about, however since we're currently preparing for war, none of the Kages are able to leave their villages at this time.. especially not to visit another village to simply 'talk'.."

The three shinobi that stood beside Naruto remained silent, but each glanced towards him to see what his reaction was. To their surprise, as well as the Hokage's, Naruto had remained silent and was attentively listening to the briefing.

"Since you will be going all the way to the Sand Village" Tsunade continued, "there is some work I would like you to get done, Shikamaru."

This time the dark haired boy perked up, mentally raising an eyebrow at what work could be done in the Sand Village.

"A lot of our records for the past Chunin exams were destroyed during the invasion. The Sand Village should still have their records available. I'm sure you'll know what you need to take care of" spoke the blonde.

"Pardon me, Tsunade-sama... but shouldn't the Chunin exams be ignored for now? I mean-..." Shikamaru questioned before the Hokage interrupted him.

"I'd like to operate under the assumption that we're going to win this war, and as such, I don't want any work deterred while we can get away with it. You're heading all the way there, so it shouldn't be too much of a... troublesome task"

Shikamaru couldn't help but smile faintly at the Hokage's choice of words, and acknowledged his orders with a curt nod.

"The four of you will depart first thing tomorrow morning. Prepare your necessities tonight, and get some rest as well. It's about a day journey to the Sand Village, and it wouldn't be safe to travel at night. I shouldn't have to remind you about the possibilities of getting ambushed.."

The four shinobi nodded in response before the Hokage continued once more.

"I expect you all back here within six days. If there are any delays, notify me as soon as possible." Tsunade looked towards Sai, who once again, nodded.

"Any questions?"

The four of them shook their heads, but the fact that Naruto remained silent throughout was surprising. Tsunade glanced at the four of them individually, giving them additional time in case they came up with any more questions. As she looked at them, she felt a sense of pride in the team that she put together for this pseudo-mission. Naruto was a mandatory choice, but the three supporting shinobi were almost too perfect for the job.

Shikamaru's intellect would be an incredible asset if they ever ran into any trouble. She would also be killing two birds with one stone, as Shikamaru handled most of the work with regards to the Chunin Exams.

Hinata's Byakugan would be essential in locating potential traps, ambushes, or any impending danger. The Hyuga's Gentle Fist technique targets chakra points, and can completely stop the flow of chakra – a shinobi's main resource. Without their ability to use chakra, a shinobi would be limited to taijutsu, and the four ninja were more than capable in hand-to-hand combat.

Sai provided exceptional scouting abilities, and methods to transmit knowledge over long distances. The Ink Jutsus he possessed could encode information, and the creatures he drew could deliver the information to the intended recipient. If anything happened, Sai would be able to relay the information back to Konoha.

In addition to their skills, the three shinobi weren't essential for the preparations. Sai was a free agent as ANBU no longer had a leader. Shikamaru could be useful for the strategy department, but he couldn't provide any insight that his father hadn't already given. Information about Madara was rather limited anyways, so there wasn't much for Shikamaru to do in Konoha besides guard duties and helping out here and there.

Hinata was a surprise though. As the eldest daughter of Hiashi Hyuga, and rightful heiress to the Hyuga Clan, one would expect her to be loaded with responsibilities. However, Tsunade was already informed that Neji would be the one to succeed the clan – despite his opinion that the position should go to Hinata.

"Very well, dismissed."

The four shinobi bowed in response and began to leave. Sai and Shikamaru had already exited the room, and Hinata was half-way through the door when she heard Tsunade call out.

"Naruto, could you stay behind? I'd like a word with you."

Naruto blinked. "Sure thing."

Hinata looked at Naruto for a bit before closing the door behind her and leaving as well.

Naruto let out a sigh. He wasn't sure if he was ready to talk to Hinata just yet, and thankfully Tsunade had managed to help him avoid the indigo beauty for a bit longer.

"I have some very... interesting... news, Naruto."

The blond male folded his arms over his chest and cocked his head to the side. "More news? What's going on...?"

The female took a deep breath before sighing and looking into the male's eyes. "You returned from the Kage Summit over a week ago. Kakashi has informed me of everything that happened – your encounter with Sasuke, and Madara Uchiha."

Naruto tensed up at the mention of his dark haired friend, who had deserted the village. This time, he remained silent instead of interrupting. Was she going to give him news about Sasuke?

"Kakashi also brought back a girl who was previously on Sasuke's team. She was sent to Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Department, where Ibiki Morino and his shinobi questioned the girl about any information she had on Sasuke and Madara and their plans."

Tsunade paused to let out a sigh before she continued.

"Unfortunately, she possessed no information that we weren't already aware of. When questioning proved fruitless, Inoichi Yamanaka was asked to probe her mind – nothing helpful was obtained from that either. It would appear that, aside from Sasuke's revenge against his brother Itachi, and ROOT leader Danzou, the girl had no knowledge about Madara's plans, hideouts or anything of the sort."

This time it was Naruto's turn to let out a sigh. After his declaration at the Samurai Bridge when he clashed with the dark haired renegade, Naruto wasn't sure if he'd be willing to face his friend so quickly, but he was still hoping he'd get some news about whether Sasuke was doing okay.

He cocked his head a little. Didn't she say she had some interesting news? If it wasn't about Sasuke, or Madara, then what could it be? He didn't have to wait long as the Hokage continued.

"She's located at the Interrogation Department, and is kept in a cell under watch. It's still possible that she's working as a spy, though it is rather unlikely at this point.." her voice trailed off as she leaned back in her chair and glanced absentmindedly at the documents on her desk. "You should go and speak to her.."

- § -

Finally, he opened his eyes, extending his hand outward again and this time, grasped the knob. With a twist, he turned the knob and pulled the door open, entering the Interrogation Department building. One of the guards greeted him, and after Naruto had explained who he needed to speak with, the guard led the blond male down a hallway and into an adjacent one.

The two stopped in front of a cell, barred with metal beams from the ceiling to the floor. His eyes set upon the occupant of the cell, her red hair reaching down to her mid-back in an unusual style. The right side framing her face was short, spiky and unkempt while the left side contrasted completely in a long, neat manner.

His gaze then turned to the guard that had escorted him and with a nod, the guard left the area – along with another guard who was kept on watch duty for the prisoner. Once he was alone, he turned his attention back to the woman being kept in the cell, who had finally taken notice of his presence. She turned to look at him through her glasses, and he matched her stare.

The two simply stared at each other for several moments.

"Hi."

"..Hi?" questioned the girl.

As he looked at her, Tsunade's words kept ringing through his mind.

_'You should go and speak to her.. She's from the Uzumaki Clan..'_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There we go! Hope that was worth the wait! Reviews still welcome! Thanks!**


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